Supporting Statement: Obtaining Customer Feedback on BLS’s Publication of Employment Data by Size of Firm

Request for Approval under the “DOL Departmental Generic Clearance for the Collection of Routine Customer Feedback”

(OMB Control Number: 1225-0088)

TITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION: Obtaining Customer Feedback on BLS’s Publication of Employment Data by Size of Firm

PURPOSE: Several programs in the Office of Employment and Unemployment Statistics at the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) have created experimental employment series by size class.

The Business Employment Dynamics program (BED), the Current Employment Statistics program (CES), and the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) have developed methods to publish employment information by size class, distinguishing among small, medium, and large companies in broad industry sectors. Size-class employment totals for an industry show differences in trends among business size groups and provide a more detailed picture of changes in the U.S. economy.

The purpose of these customer surveys is to find out how useful employment data by size class are to users of BLS employment data, which survey programs’ size-class data are of most interest to data users (BED, CES, JOLTS), and what characteristics of the size-class data are of most interest.

The content of the surveys for the three programs is very similar. In an attempt to address and minimize respondent burden, and acknowledging that we do not know how many of the respondents use data from two or more of the programs, the decision was made to create three separate surveys, with each online instrument initially focusing on one of the three programs but giving a respondent the option to answer questions for the other two programs. For example, visitors to the CES website who respond to a request to complete the survey would first see questions about CES, and then be given an option to complete similar questions for BED and JOLTS. Visitors to the BED website who respond to a request to complete the survey would first see questions about BED, and then be given an option to complete similar questions for CES and JOLTS (and similarly for visitors to the JOLTS website).

DESCRIPTION OF RESPONDENTS: Respondents will be visitors to the websites of these three programs who agree to complete the survey, as well as volunteers from lists of individuals who have contacted the programs in the past with questions about employment data, or who have requested to be placed on BLS mailing lists.

TYPE OF COLLECTION: (Check one)

[ ] Customer Comment Card/Complaint Form [X] Customer Satisfaction Survey

[ ] Usability Testing (e.g., Website or Software [ ] Small Discussion Group

[] Focus Group [ ] Other: ______________________

CERTIFICATION:

I certify the following to be true:

1. The collection is voluntary.

2. The collection is low-burden for respondents and low-cost for the Federal Government.

3. The collection is non-controversial and does not raise issues of concern to other federal agencies.

4. The results are not intended to be disseminated to the public.

5. Information gathered will not be used for the purpose of substantially informing influential policy decisions.

6. The collection is targeted to the solicitation of opinions from respondents who have experience with the program or may have experience with the program in the future.

Name: William Mockovak

To assist review, please provide answers to the following question:

Personally Identifiable Information:

1. Is personally identifiable information (PII) collected? [ ] Yes [X] No

2. If Yes, is the information that will be collected included in records that are subject to the Privacy Act of 1974? [ ] Yes [ ] No

3. If Applicable, has a System or Records Notice been published? [ ] Yes [ ] No

Gifts or Payments:

Is an incentive (e.g., money or reimbursement of expenses, token of appreciation) provided to participants? [ ] Yes [X ] No

BURDEN HOURS

Note: The burden hours are based on the total number of respondents expected summed across the separate online surveys.

Category of Respondent	No. of Respondents	Participation Time	Burden
BED individual data users	500	4 minutes	33 hr
CES individual data users	800	4 minutes	53 hr
JOLTS individual data users	500	4 minutes	33 hr
Totals	1,800	Varies	119 hrs

FEDERAL COST: The estimated annual cost to the Federal government is $4,800 (an estimated 120 hours of work based on a GS-13/5, which is roughly $39.84 per hour, rounded to $40 per hour).

If you are conducting a focus group, survey, or plan to employ statistical methods, please provide answers to the following questions:

The selection of your targeted respondents

1. Do you have a customer list or something similar that defines the universe of potential respondents and do you have a sampling plan for selecting from this universe? [ ] Yes [X] No

If the answer is yes, please provide a description of both below (or attach the sampling plan)? If the answer is no, please provide a description of how you plan to identify your potential group of respondents and how you will select them?

Administration of the Instrument

1. How will you collect the information? (Check all that apply)

[X] Web-based or other forms of Social Media

[ ] Telephone

[ ] In-person

[ ] Mail

[ ] Other, Explain

2. Will interviewers or facilitators be used? [ ] Yes [X ] No

Please make sure that all instruments, instructions, and scripts are submitted with the request.

Instructions for completing Request for Approval under the “Generic Clearance for the Collection of Routine Customer Feedback”

TITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION: Provide the name of the collection that is the subject of the request. (e.g. Comment card for soliciting feedback on xxxx)

PURPOSE: Provide a brief description of the purpose of this collection and how it will be used. If this is part of a larger study or effort, please include this in your explanation.

DESCRIPTION OF RESPONDENTS: Provide a brief description of the targeted group or groups for this collection of information. These groups must have experience with the program.

TYPE OF COLLECTION: Check one box. If you are requesting approval of other instruments under the generic, you must complete a form for each instrument.

CERTIFICATION: Please read the certification carefully. If you incorrectly certify, the collection will be returned as improperly submitted or it will be disapproved.

Personally Identifiable Information: Provide answers to the questions.

Gifts or Payments: If you answer yes to the question, please describe the incentive and provide a justification for the amount.

BURDEN HOURS:

Category of Respondents: Identify who you expect the respondents to be in terms of the following categories: (1) Individuals or Households;(2) Private Sector; (3) State, local, or tribal governments; or (4) Federal Government. Only one type of respondent can be selected.

No. of Respondents: Provide an estimate of the Number of respondents.

Participation Time: Provide an estimate of the amount of time required for a respondent to participate (e.g. fill out a survey or participate in a focus group)

Burden: Provide the Annual burden hours: Multiply the Number of responses and the participation time and divide by 60.

FEDERAL COST: Provide an estimate of the annual cost to the Federal government.

If you are conducting a focus group, survey, or plan to employ statistical methods, please provide answers to the following questions:

The selection of your targeted respondents. Please provide a description of how you plan to identify your potential group of respondents and how you will select them. If the answer is yes, to the first question, you may provide the sampling plan in an attachment.

Administration of the Instrument: Identify how the information will be collected. More than one box may be checked. Indicate whether there will be interviewers (e.g. for surveys) or facilitators (e.g., for focus groups) used.

Please make sure that all instruments, instructions, and scripts are submitted with the request.

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